What Doesn't Kill You
by Romulus123
Summary: This is the story of Naruto Uzumaki and his companions as they journey to strength, to acknowledgement, and to greatness. Sit and watch as they take the ninja world by storm. Pairing(s) undecided. Rated M for blood, gore, and language.
1. Chapter 1

Why was he alone? Why didn't people like him? Did he do something wrong?

These were question that eight year old Naruto Uzumaki asked himself quite often. He didn't have a bad life. At least comparatively to what it could've been. He had a decent home. He lived in the civilian district in a one bedroom apartment that he didn't have to pay for. He had clean clothes. He wasn't sure who washed them but he suspected that it was the purple haired lady in the mask. And he received a weekly stipend so that he could get food.

But that was one of the less decent parts of his life. The stores in the civilian district would charge him a lot of money for simple things and some wouldn't sell to him at all. He didn't think it was very nice but he had an alternative. He would go to the slums to buy food. He was sure that, if he had parents, they would tell him not to go there. Every time he went there he felt as if someone were watching him. But the people there were nicer to him than the people in the district he lived in.

He felt loved when he went there. The ladies on the street always treated him kindly and would help him buy food because they said that not everyone there was nice. But they would never tell him their names. They always told him that they were his Nee-chans and that was all he needed to know.

But at the current moment he wasn't sure what to do. His stipend hadn't come in the past two weeks and his food had run out. He was starting to get hungry. So he decided to do something that he was sure that he shouldn't. He was going to steal.

He dressed himself in black. He pulled on a black hoodie and pulled the hood low over his head so that no one could see any of his distinguishing features. He sighed and set out. He could have gone to his Nee-chans and asked if they could help him, but he didn't want to make a nuisance of himself. Besides if he did this correctly his victim would be none the wiser.

Naruto made his way through the back alleys and streets of the village until he got to the main shopping district. If he was going to pull this off this place would be the best spot to do it. He sulked along the edge of the streets and kept his eyes sharp for his unsuspecting victim. He made himself small in the shadows so that people would overlook him. Ah, there was someone. He spotted a dango shop that was ahead of him and on the other side of the street. A man was sitting next to two women and he appeared to have his wallet just lying out on the counter. And it appeared to be quite full. Perfect.

Now, he couldn't just run up and snatch it. He needed to cause a disruption first. '_Hmmmm.'_ He noticed that the shop had an alley next to it. It probably had a side door where they took the trash out of the kitchen. That was perfect. He smirked and moved silently across the street and weaved through the crowd.

He made sure that the man and the wallet was still there before sliding into the alley. He waited for about five minute before the side door opened. He bolted into the doorway and rammed his shoulder into the man's, who was taking out trash, hips which in turn sent the man tumbling into one of the shelves and made a terrible clatter.

He sprinted through the shop with a grace that one would not expect from one so young and he soon found himself at the front of the store. His vision tunneled on the wallet and he leaped into the air before planting both of his hand on the counter. One of them landed on the wooden surface and one on the wallet. In the same move he pulled up his legs and knees to his chest and thrust them out over the other side of the counter between the man and the woman sitting next to him, effectively clearing the wooden barrier. He landed solidly and took off in a sprint away from the shop with the wallet clutched tightly in his fist.

The man looked around in bewilderment, "Who the hell was that?"

The woman who sat next to the man had light brown eyes with no pupils and her purple hair was tied up into a pineapple shape. She was dressed in a tan trench coat and a burnt orange skirt. She appeared to be about sixteen.

"Fuck if I know. He seemed to be in a hu-HEY! Where the fuck is my wallet?!" The girl screamed in outrage. Her mind replayed what just happened and she growled, "That punk took my wallet! I'll kill him!" She jumped out of her seat and took off after the kid.

The girl's companion had a chunin vest on over a red vest and she looked to be about eighteen. She had red irises and she had her face in glare as she sighed and ran after her friend, "Anko! He's just a kid let it go!"

Naruto bolted through streets and the crowds. '_I can't believe that worked!_' he thought to himself. '_Now all I have to do is make it to the slums._' He had to find one of his Nee-chans. His grin faded when he felt some whiz past his head. He glanced behind him frantically and saw a girl running towards him with a fierce glare on her face. He looked down at the wallet in his hand as he continued to run before glancing back at the furious girl. Suddenly it felt as if a boulder had settled in his stomach as he thought with fear '_It's her wallet isn't it? I guess I should give it ba-THAT WAS A KUNAI!' _

He had to duck as another one of the throwing knives thudded into the merchant's stall he had just ran through. 'SHE'S a NINJA!' The blond's flight or fight reflex kicked in upon the realization that he had just stolen from a ninja. The act of which was already heavy crime but when ninja were involved it probably meant a bad beating for the perpetrator. He redoubled his efforts to get away from the girl. He cut into an alley that fenced in halfway through. His mind worked into overdrive as he leapt onto a metal trash can and used it as a stepping stone to a dumpster. He jumped off the dumpster, clearing the distance and getting over the eight foot tall chain link. He landed in a roll so he could recover faster and exited to the alley to the streets. He stopped for a second in surprise before exclaiming his thoughts, "That was COOL!"

"When I catch you, I'm gonna skin you and put you in a bag of salt!"

"Anko! Calm down!"

Naruto's head snapped to the alley where he saw the girl in the trench coat clear the fence in one leap with her red eyed friend just little behind. '_Crap, I thought I lost them.' _He took off again but his lungs and legs were starting to burn from the excessive running. He started slow down but he fought through the pain. '_C'mon, Naruto. Just a little longer. We're almost there.'_

About a minute and a half later Naruto entered the slums and made a beeline for the house where his Nee-chans lived. His breath, by then, was coming out in short ragged bursts as he sucked air and his legs felt like jelly. He could hear the two women behind him gaining on him by the sound of their sandals hitting the pavement. He put on a burst of speed just as he neared the house and ducked into an alley. He exited the other side and immediately cut to the right and up the steps of a rather large building. He burst through the door loudly, startling the women inside, and shut it quickly before collapsing to the floor.

He started to suck air with earnest to ease the ache in his lungs. '_I-I did it. I stole from a kunoichi and escaped.' _ He heard a rush of movement as the women in the house start to converge on his position in front of the door. A small smile of contentment spread across his whiskered cheeks as he saw his Nee-chans enter his field of vision and instantly start fretting over him. Most of them were clad in kimonos of different colors and designs. They ranged from tall to short and from black haired to blond. There were no more than twenty of them and Naruto knew none of their names. He only knew that they legitimately care for him. As they got closer and the women were able to see his face, a chorus of 'Naruto-kun' and 'Naru-kun' rung out from the girls.

"What's wrong with him?" A girl who was about eighteen in a red kimono with a pink Sakura petal design on it asked worriedly. As Naruto continued to try and catch his breath a woman of about twenty-five knelt beside his head and pulled it into her lap. She looked up at all the other and sighed, "He appears to be out of breath. Let him recover and he'll tell us." Just then the door to the building burst open making the women scream and Naruto's eyes widen. Standing in the doorway was the girl that was chasing him and her red eyed friend. They both were a bit winded with the black haired woman being the worse off of the two. Naruto was nervous when the broke down the door but he was honestly scared when the trench coat girl's pupil-less eyes locked onto him with a face that resembled thunder.

The girl growled and held her hand in his general direction before yelling, '**Striking Shadow Snakes!**' Snakes emerged from the sleeve of her coat and shot for the blond whose cry of panic was silenced as the snakes coiled around his smallish frame and started constricting. The snakes began to pull back into her sleeve bringing Naruto with them still trapped helplessly in their coils.

Anko glared daggers at the little blond who was suspended in the air before her, "I finally caught you, you little blond prick."

"Put him down!"

Anko turned her glare on the brunette girl who had spoken up. Said brunette was returning the glare but the trench clad kunoichi could easily see that she was frightened. '_Heh. She's quaking in her boots.'_ However the Anko did not put the boy down. In fact the snakes coiled tighter around the boy if the sound of his ribs grating together was anything to go by. She growled to the girl, "Hell no! This little shit stole my wallet. That's a crime if you didn't know. He's in trouble. And he pissed me off."

The brunette in the pink kimono that had spoken up frowned, "But you're hurting him! He can't even talk to explain himself." It was true. Naruto's face had slowly begun to turn blue in the snakes' grip. He couldn't breathe let alone talk.

Anko shrugged and kept the jutsu active, "He'll be fine. If anything he will just pass out. He might have a cracked rib or two."

One of the older women, the blonde one who had pulled the blond into her lap, stood up angrily, "How can you say that?! He's just a kid! I'm sure he had his reasons!" She turned to the red eyed teenager and pleaded, "Please don't take him in. Just let him off with a warning."

Said red eyed teenager turned to Anko started to try and persuade her friend, "C'mon, Anko. He IS just a kid. Maybe does have a reason-"

"I don't care!" Anko shouted forcefully, "I don't wanna hear his pathetic sob story. I'm sure it will be very touching. He can tell it to the Hokage while he's explaining why he stole from one of his kunoichi. YOU come on, Kurenai." And with that the purple haired girl exited the house and took to the roofs and headed for the Hokage's office in the administrative part of the Academy.

Kurenai turned to the women in the house with apologetic look as if she wanted to say something but instead exited the building and leapt after her friend.

_**Hokage's Office**_

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not say he was enjoying his day. There had been a particularly big inflow of paperwork today. '_Ugh. Minato. I hate you for dying. This is just soul killing. You're a bastard for not telling me how you got this done so fast.' _To say he was pleasantly surprised to see two of his upcoming kunoichi burst in his door with the body of a child in one their jutsu would be bit of an overstatement but it was a distraction from the monotony of doing paperwork.

"Ah, Kurenai-chan and Anko-chan. What can I do for you?" his voice was calm and friendly but his eyes were focused on the child that was still in the coil of snakes.

Anko spoke up first as she finally dropped the technique and the snakes disappeared in a puff of smoke. The action however dropped the boy unceremoniously onto the hard floor of the office. Anko shrugged and thought '_He was passed out anyway.'_ She turned her attention to her Hokage and frowned, "That little bastard stole my wallet. I know that is a crime. I didn't know what to do with him so I brought him here for his punishment."

Hiruzen let his eyebrows rise in surprise. Thieves that young were usually warned away from Shinobi by their predecessors. He looked at the two, "That's surprising. You both seem a little winded. He must have given you quite a chase."

Kurenai chose to speak up this time, "If I'm to be completely honest I don't think he knew he was stealing from Anko. Her wallet was lying out in the open between her and a civilian at the dango stall we were at."

Hiruzen chuckled slightly, "So you're saying he wasn't targeting her? He just thought it was the civilian?"

"That is what I believe, Hokage-sama."

Anko looked back in between the two with growing annoyance, "Wait a second! I think we're getting off topic here, Hokage-sama. It doesn't matter if he intended to rob me or not. The fact remains that he did. He is still a thief." '_The little shit isn't getting off so easily.'_

Hiruzen nodded and took the pipe out of his mouth, "You are right, Anko-chan. But before I administer any punishment I would like to hear the boy's side of the story. If he was able to give two chunin-level kunoichi a chase then maybe he could be potential Shinobi." The snake summoning girl huffed but reached into her pouch and rummaged around in it. Eventually she brought out a capsule filled with smelling salts. She picked up the blond and set him up in a chair. The blond, being unconscious, slumped in such a way that the hood fell over his face. Anko cracked open the capsule and held it to his nose under the hood.

The boy woke up with a disoriented jerk and groan of pain. His blue eyes open fully and scanned the room that he woke up in. When he saw the Hokage sitting in front of him Naruto inhaled a gasp. That proved to be a mistake as his chest erupted in pain that made him see white. He cried out loudly and doubled over in the chair as he curled his arms around his ribs. Kurenai , who was standing near him, flinched and went to kneel next to him when she remembered that he was a thief. Anko suppressed a wince out of pure spite but felt a little bad for hurting him.

"Can you speak, child?" Hiruzen asked simply.

Naruto looked up and nodded, "Y-yes." On the inside and on the outside the blond boy was crying a bit, '_Ow. This really hurts.'_

Hiruzen's eyes widened considerably as he heard the response from the child in front of him. He knew that voice. "Naruto? Is that you? Kurenai, remove the hood." Kurenai nodded and slid the hood back off the kid's head revealing a mop of spikey blond hair, whiskered cheeks, and pain filled blue eyes.

There two audible gasps in the room; one from the Hokage himself and the other from someone else in the room that technically shouldn't be making noise. Hiruzen glanced quietly to the rafters in the room and shook his head slightly before turning to the boy.

"Naruto-kun, why were you stealing? You know that's a crime."

Naruto, for his part, felt a bit guilty and pulled the woman's wallet from the hoodie's pocket only to have it snatched away by said woman. '_That was rude. I was going to apologize.' _ He sighed and turned to his grandfather figure, "I'm sorry. I know it was wrong. It's just that the stipend hasn't come in a while and I was getting hungry-"

He was cut off by an audible growl from above. Hiruzen just facepalmed and looked up, "If you are going to continue making noise then just reveal yourself, Neko." A few moments later a female in Anbu attire, Neko mask, and purple hair landed beside the Hokage and Naruto's face lit up happily.

"Hey, you're the purple haired lady that washes my clothes and watches me." The blond boy exclaimed happily. '_She's really nice.' _A throbbing pulse of pain from his ribs quickly sent the smiling blond back to cringing. Anko soon found herself under the intense glare of the Anbu in the Neko mask and she had to admit that it made her sweat a little.

Hiruzen was surprised by Naruto's outburst but didn't comment on it for now choosing instead to inquire about what the blond mentioned beforehand, "What do you mean? Your stipend comes every week."

Naruto shrugged and shook his head, "It hasn't come in two weeks. I ran out of food…Sunday I think. By the way, do you have anything to eat here, Hokage-jiji? I'm _really _hungry." At this Neko's hand began twitching toward her mask but she controlled her natural motherly instincts. Hiruzen, being the God of Shinobi, didn't miss this and smiled but inwardly he was pissed off.

'_I will be having a chat with those fools at the bank' _Hiruzen thought bitterly before turning to Naruto with a stern gaze_, "_I'm not saying what you did was a nice thing, because stealing is never right. You should have come straight to me Naruto-kun."

Naruto wrung his hands guiltily and sighed, "I know…but I didn't want to cause trouble. You're always so busy."

"I know, Naruto. And I apologize. I can see you are hungry and I'll let you go soon but I have a question to ask." Naruto tilted his head in confusion but stayed quiet. Sarutobi took his silence for a gesture to continue, "Naruto, despite it being a bad thing, you gave two of my more prominent Kunoichi quite the chase. That's impressive for one who has had no formal training. Have you ever thought about becoming a Shinobi?"

"No. Not really." Naruto replied casually. '_But now I am.'_

Hiruzen smiled and pulled an Academy application paper and started filling it out, "Well, if you entered the Academy right now you could be in a class of kids your age. They entered at seven though so you'll be a year behind. All you have to do is sign your name right here." The old Hokage slid the paper toward the boy and laid the pen he was using right below the spot where he had to sign.

Naruto picked up a pen and deliberated in his mind for a second. '_Why would I be a shinobi?' _ He looked at the Neko Anbu, then to the two women behind him, and then finally to the old Hokage himself. '_They all seem to be proud. It's in their eyes. I want to feel like that. To be proud of myself. Maybe if I was a ninja then people would like me better. They would acknowledge me.' _Naruto grinned to himself and shrugged as he signed the paper, "Sure. Why not? I'll give it my best shot."

Hiruzen smirked and took the application, "That's all I ask of you, Naruto-kun." '_Your parents would be proud.' _The old monkey then whipped out a mission scroll and began scribbling over it fiercely before handing it to the violet haired woman beside him, "Neko. I have a new mission/request for you. You will receive B rank mission pay every two weeks for as long as you carry it out. Do you accept?"

The cat masked Anbu quickly read over the scroll before turning to the aging Hokage. The people in the room could practically hear the happiness in her voice, "Hai, Hokage-sama. I accept." She then removed her mask and set it down on the table before walking up to Naruto and smiling, "Hello Naruto. I've looked after you for a long time but this is the first that we've ever been properly introduced. I'm Yugao Uzuki."

Naruto returned her smile with earnest, "Well, I'm Naruto Uzumaki…" He turned towards Hiruzen for a moment before looking back, "Future Hokage."

Anko snorted at this but the other three adult in the room seemed amused. Yugao chuckled a bit and crossed her arms, "Future Hokage? Well if that your goal then we have work to do. C'mon, Naruto. Let's go get something to eat first then we're going shopping."

"For what?"

"Why, your Shinobi supplies of course. You can't train to be one without them." With that said the violet haired lady grabbed his shoulder and they both disappeared in a shunshin.

_**A Couple Hours Later**_

Naruto could honestly say that this was the best, most confusing, and life changing day he'd ever had. He had woken up an orphan with no money. And now he was an Academy student with a guardian. That was what Yugao had called herself. Apparently Hokage-jiji had offered her the assignment of becoming his guardian. But he didn't see why she would when she could be out doing awesome ninja stuff. But he wasn't going to start complaining. He wasn't alone anymore! And his guardian had already begun to teach him things to catch him up with the other academy students such as the names of all the Hokage and what they were famous for.

"C'mon, Naruto! We're in a hurry. We need to get your new clothes and then move you into my apartment."

Naruto jumped and realized he'd been lagging behind while he was going over the events of the day. He jogged to catch up and fell into step beside the purple haired woman. He looked around and noticed he was still getting those borderline hateful looks from the villagers but he was too happy to care. He looked up with the grin that had refused to leave his face since they left the Hokage's office, "Where are we heading anyway, Yugao-san?"

He didn't an answer right way. Instead he was pulled inside a store that had all the dangerous toys any sane mother wouldn't let their kid play with. He instantly loved it. There were kunai, shuriken, swords, spears, staves, and all the other beautiful things Naruto wanted to touch. But sadly it was not to be. He was pulled away into the clothing section.

Yugao grinned down at the boy, "Sorry, Naruto. You can't get any of the goodies today. Graduate from the academy and I'll buy you anything you want. But today we're just here for clothes."

"But Yugao-saaaan."

"No Buts."

Naruto sighed in disappointment but soon got over it. He would love to have something else to wear beside all the white stuff that had been given to him. The two walked around laughing and picking out different things for the blond to try on. Finally, Naruto decided on something rather unorthodox. He had picked out an outfit that consisted of a pair of slightly baggy, grayish-blue, pants that were made out of a durable but surprisingly soft material. The pants were tied off at the bottom by ankle wraps. The torso piece was an indigo, sleeveless undershirt that fit him like a second skin with blood red trim along the collar and arm holes. On his arms was a set of long, fingerless, gloves that were the same color as the undershirt and stretched up his arms stopping a couple of inches above the elbow.

As he walked out of the changing room the blond couldn't help but think something was missing from his outfit. '_Ah well. It still looks good.' _Naruto thought to himself.

When he paraded his outfit in front of his newly appointed guardian she nodded approvingly, "It looks good. The colors are interesting but pleasant. I approve. C'mon let's get this stuff paid for." With that said Yugao went to get a few spare copies of the outfit. Naruto however had eyes spread wide in wonder. The reason being a man with spikey gray hair, a crooked hitai-ate, and that beautifully simple item that was covering most of his facial features. '_That's what it's missing! It's so cool and mysterious. I have to know what he got it!'_

And with that thought Naruto found himself tugging on the bottom of the masked shinobi's flak jacket. He had surprised himself with the speed he was able to get next to the man but his mind was in other places as he gave it one last tug. The man looked down lazily and his voice was just at laid back, "Yes?"

Naruto grinned wicked and pointed up at the man's mask, "Where'd you get that? My outfit is missing something and the mask would be perfect. It would hide my features and annoy people."

Kakashi was taken aback but secretly pleased that one so young had also discovered the greatness of his mask, especially this young one. He gave an eye smile, "This mask? Well, this one wouldn't fit you and I have them made out of a special material that's quite pricey. I order them from a custom maker."

Naruto seemed a little downcast at that. Yugao-san was already buying his outfit which wasn't cheap and he was sure that she wouldn't buy him a mask that wasn't _entirely _necessary.

"Oh. Okay. Never mind then." Just as he turned to leave the man to his business he felt a hand on his should stop him.

"But, I do still have my old mask from when I was your age. IT should fit you for a while until you start to really grow. Do you want it?" He got a nod from the boy so he continued, "Are you sure? Sometimes the mask can be a heavy burden." He got another nod. Kakashi gave a nod of his own and a connection seemed to be made between the two as the Copy Ninja opened a scroll and unsealed a mask that was identical to the one he was wearing but small enough to fit the blond. The gray haired jounin lead Naruto over to a secluded area and proceeded to slip mask over the blond's head and fix it in such a way that made it seem like the thing just melted into the undershirt.

Naruto thought it looked cool on the spikey haired man but wearing it was a different experience. It was ten times more awesome. It was silky soft and formed to his facial features like a glove. He didn't dare look in the mirror because he might die from how epic he knew he must look. Before he could thank the man he felt something being slid into his hand. He looked down and read the title out loud, "The Way of the Mask. What's this?"

Kakashi grinned slightly under his own mask, "That book will tell you everything you need to know about the mask from how to care for it to how to eat with it on. I wrote it myself."

Naruto nodded in understanding before grinning broadly under the face cover, "Thanks…?"

"It's Kakashi, kid. I have to go now but I think we'll be seeing each other around. Take good care of that."

Naruto nodded and waved as Kakashi walked away deeper into the store. He instantly buried his nose into the book eager to learn its lessons. And that was how Yugao found him after she had paid for all his clothes. When she saw what was on his face her eyebrows rose, "Where'd the mask com from?"

Naruto looked up slightly confused because he had been paying attention to his book and not her voice, "Hmm? You say something, Yugao-san?"

The purple haired woman had enough patience to not smack the boy upside the head but a vein throbbed on her forehead regardless as she spoke, "I asked where you got the mask." Naruto visibly brightened even though his eyes were the only indication.

"Oh! Kakashi-san just gave it to me. It looks good doesn't it?"

'_Ah, that explains it. Well, he seems to have instantly started channeling Kakashi.' _Yugao thought with a wistful sigh, '_Hopefully I can keep him from being late and reading smut. I won't allow those.' _ She nodded to the boy and led him out of the store and towards his apartment where they would pack his things and bring them to hers.

_**Later that Night in Naruto's New Room**_

'_Ahhh, I could get used to this.' _Naruto thought as he peered out of his NEW window from his NEW bed. He was lying comfortably on his back with his hands tucked neatly behind his head. The blond let out a sigh of contentment as he gazed out over the village watching as the sun set over the horizon. He had to admit that it was an amazing view. He smiled and it was visible seeing as he abandoned the mask for sleep. Yugao's apartment was on the top floor of a particularly high complex that was taller than the buildings around it. He loved it already. He loved the way his life had changed. It sudden and unexpected to be sure and he hadn't entirely wrapped his head around the whole idea yet. But he couldn't complain. How could he? He was starting his training slash conditioning tomorrow. Yugao had made it clear that she only teach him what he needed know until he progressed farther in the academy. Again, he had no complaints. With another sigh he turned over on his side, pulled the covers up, and closed his eyes.

Just as was on the cusp of unconsciousness Naruto heard the door to his room creak open a bit. He knew it was Yugao and smiled gently but kept his eyes closed. However, the blond was surprised when he felt a weight beside him as she sat down and leaned over him a little. It was obvious that she thought he was asleep. She ran a hand over his yellow locks with a small smile and kissed his cheek like a loving mother. Naruto was shell shocked to say the least but kept his eyes closed and breathing normal.

"Sweet dreams, Naruto-kun. I hope you'll be happy here." Yugao said before getting up from the boy's bed and retreating out of the room leaving the blond with an unfamiliar but undeniably pleasant, warm, feeling in his chest.

Smiling as he finally slipped over the edge Naruto replied to no one in particular, "I already am."

* * *

**Hey, I'm back. And this is my rewrite of The Broken Ones. Sort of. It will not be Naruto and Anko centric this time because I'm handling it differently. The pairings will be undecided until they truly begin to matter. Which won't happen until Shippuden Era. I'm a fan of Naru/Ank and Naru/Hina. But shit happens so we'll all just wait and see how things unfold. I have so many things in store for this though. I think. Just bear with me. We'll get through it together. Feel free to drop a review or PM.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Don't slow down, Naruto-kun! You're almost done; just five more laps!"

Yugao was yelling encouragement as her soon-to-be Academy student finished his thirtieth lap around their impromptu training field. It wasn't that big, being a circular clearing about fifty yards in diameter. It was located just outside the village. The former Anbu had set up wooden practice dummies for target practice and taijutsu. There were also some equipment such as a pull up bar and rope tied off from a tall tree. They had been coming here for a month in half as they worked out until noon and going to the library for lessons afterward. These were his cool down laps.

Suddenly as Naruto passed by her again, sweaty and winded from his workout, she called out, "Quick, Naruto! What technique gave the Fourth his title?! Your number of laps depends on your answer."

Naruto huffed out an answer as he struggled to keep his steady pace, "The Hiraishin!"

"Details!"

With a roll of his blue eyes Naruto continued, "It was a space-time ninjutsu that allowed him to teleport instantly wherever he had the technique seal placed. The jutsu often resulted in a flash of light which earned him the moniker of Yellow Flash."

Yugao smirked proudly, "Very good. You can stop. You have learned most of everything the academy went over last year. You should be good. You even know how to throw a punch. And you're probably just as conditioned since I'm told the most they did last year was run laps."

Naruto slowed down to a walk and started to breathe slowly through his nose and out through his mouth. He looked over to see his guardian waving him over to so with her under the shade of a tree. When she held up two bento boxes he hurried over with haste. '_Ugh. I'm starving!' _

He sat beside her and took his bento with a quick 'Thank you!' before pulling down his mask. He would only do so around her. Mostly because he knew she had already seen his face with her having looked after him since he was at least six. Part of it was because he had not mastered the art of eating with the thing on.

"You did well today, Naruto-kun. I think you're ready for the Academy."

Naruto swallowed a mouthful of rice and smiled at her, "I hope so. I've been working like a mad man. It feels nice to have a goal for once but…I'm also worried." His smile had slipped into a small frown.

Yugao's hand stopped right as she was going to take another bite of her sushi. She looked over with her features taking on a concerned look, "What about?"

Naruto shrugged and fiddled with a small blade of grass, "How do you make friends? I've never had one before. The kids I'm gonna be in class with have already met each other. I'll be the new kid. How do I make them like me?"

Yugao actually laughed a bit before answering, "Well, the first step to making friends is to realize that you can't make people like you, Naruto." Naruto looked over quizzically but she could tell that she had his attention so she continued, "Some people won't like you. That's a fact of life. I think the best way to make friends is to be yourself. Don't try to be fake or fit in with the crowd. Make them notice you through your actions."

"What do you mean?"

Yugao sighed as she tried to find a way to explain, "Well, if you're nice then people are bound to be nice back. And if people are mean to you then just ignore them. Finding friends isn't all that hard. Just find people that you have things in common with like hobbies, interests, and things."

"Well that makes more sense. Soooo, be myself. Ignore mean people. Find common interests. I think I can do that."

"Now, what did I tell you about taijutsu?"

"Fight with my reflexes and instincts until I get an actual style. Throw my punches and kicks like I have a brain and no haymakers until I'm dominating the fight." Naruto repeated back to her.

"Good. Now finish your lunch. But not too quickly or you'll get sick."

Naruto rolled his eyes before saying jokingly, "Of course, Kaa-san." Yugao knew it was a joke but couldn't stop herself from flinching at his tone. '_I wonder if you'll ever actually call me that. I hope you will…"_

_**One Week Later: Naruto's First Day**_

Naruto got up extra early this morning to make sure he wasn't late for class. And he wasn't he was very early. As he gazed into the empty classroom he had to stop himself from palming his forehead. '_Of course I'm the first one here. Seriously? Not even the instructors are here. Oh well.' _The masked blond shrugged and made his way to the very back on the top row. He sat all the way in the corner and tried to make himself unimportant. To pass the time he began reading Kakashi's instruction book.

Not ten minutes later Academy instructor Iruka Umino entered the room. '_Oh. Someone's already here. I don't recognize-OH! That must Naruto. The one who enrolled this summer. He's early. And reading. I approve. But what's with the mask?'_

Naruto had taken notice of his sensei as well. He had a sort of kind air about him that yelled kindness. Naruto instantly liked him. But he decided to keep to himself. He decided that he would try to lay low for the first couple of days.

Slowly but surely the class began filling up. Naruto was surprised to see so many clan's in one class. '_That one has a puppy. Inuzuka.' _He focused on a boy with spikey black hair that fell asleep instantly when he sat down. Laziness just poured off of him. Naruto deduced that he was a Nara based off of his guardian's description. Then his gaze shifted to a rather large boy with a bag of chips. He was an Akimichi for sure. After the class had sufficiently filled up with ordinary civilian kids Naruto zoned out and stopped paying attention choosing instead read his book.

"Naruto Uzumaki?"

Hearing his named being called jostled the blond from his thoughts and book. He looked up to see his sensei looking up at him expectantly. He was confused for a moment before it clicked. _'Ah. He must be calling roll.' _He then noticed that his sensei's gaze had prompted the whole class to look also; directly up at him.

He coughed a bit to break the silence before responding, "Um…here, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka nodded wrote something down on the clipboard before addressing the class, "Okay! So this year we are going to focus more on the in-depth facets of being a ninja-"

"Hey, kid! What's with the mask? Is something wrong with your face?"

The chunin had to forcefully stop his palm from meeting his forehead at Kiba's outburst. He should've known that the boy wouldn't have changed. The question got a few snickers from the class. The subject, however, was not amused. Naruto somehow knew that he and the Inuzuka, who had asked the question, would not get along. So, following his Yugao's instructions, he just ignored the question and kept his focus on Iruka.

Iruka was thankful that Naruto was able to be the bigger man and ignore the question. He sighed and returned to speaking, "As I was saying…we will be going over things like taijutsu, survival techniques, projectiles, and start on ninjutsu. So that means that the training regimen that we set last year will become something you do on your-"

"Don't ignore me, Blondie! Answer the question."

Iruka felt his temple begin to throb as a look of annoyance settled on his face. They not even halfway through the day and he was already tempted to strangle one of his students. This did not bode well.

Naruto rolled his eyes discretely before turning to the dog lover as if he'd just noticed his existence, "Hmm? Did you say something, Inuzuka-san?" This got the desired reaction. Kiba's face went red with embarrassment before anger.

"Oi! Don't ignore me! I'll pound your face-"

"KIBA!" Iruka snapped loudly with his temple vein throbbing full force. Kiba jumped slightly before looking back at his teacher.

"What?"

"Shut up before I make you run sprints in front of the kunai targets while the rest of class practices!"

Naruto smirked slightly under his mask before settling into his seat. He let his mind wander again as Iruka slipped into a speech about the year's curriculum.

_**Naruto's First Day: Lunch**_

When lunch rolled around Naruto grabbed the bento that Yugao had packed for him before heading out to the school grounds. He had worked extra hard to master 'the eating with the mask on' thing. It was just a slight-of-hand applied to eating. Take the mask down just enough to fit a mouthful in before letting it slip back into position. It took a lot of practice and a few bitten fingers but he got it down.

The blond let his eyes wander around the Academy grounds where they were allowed to eat their meals. He needed to make friends and this seemed like a good a time as any to start. The first group of kids he spotted was a bunch of girls giggling madly and blushing about something he couldn't see. Hmmm. Pass. The next was that Kiba kid and some of his civilian flunkies. That would also be a pass. His gaze then fell upon the lazy one and the Akimichi. Shikimaru and Chouji he thought their names were. They seemed like decent people but a bit boring. Maybe tomorrow he would ask to eat with them.

Just as he was about to give up and just find somewhere for himself, Naruto spotted a pale eyed girl sitting in the shade of a tree. It was obvious that she was a Hyūga. Her hair was cut short, stopping just above her forehead in the front with chin-length bangs framing her face from the sides. She wore a cream-colored hooded-jacket with a fire symbol on the upper right and left sleeves and fur around the cuffs and hem, with navy blue pants. '_She seems okay'_. A few moments later Naruto was standing next to her, smiling even if you could only see it in his eyes.

"Can I eat here with you, Hyūga-san?"

The pale-eyed girl squeaked in surprise at the sound of his voice before looking up at him, "Um, sure." She moved her own box of food to open up a space next to her against the tree; a space that Naruto quickly filled with a quiet sigh.

Naruto opened his box and smiled at the contents. Yugao made the best onigiri and sushi. He turned to the girl beside him held out his hand, "Thanks. I'm Naruto by the way. Naruto Uzumaki." The girl smiled shyly before grasping his hand with her own slender one and shaking.

"I'm Hinata. Hinata Hyūga. And you're welcome, Naruto-san. It's nice to meet you." The now named Hinata responded quietly with a small smile of her own.

Naruto nodded before and was about to take a bit of his onigiri when he felt eyes on him. He turned to see Hinata looking at him. He raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"Aren't you going to take your mask off?" Hinata asked while pointing to the article of clothing in question. Her own eyebrows rose when the blond shook his head, "How are you going to eat with it on?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto responded through a mouthful of rice chewing it with his mouth still covered by the black fabric. Hinata's eyes widened when she confirmed that the boy's rice ball did indeed have a bite taken out of it. '_No way! I didn't even see him move! He's either really fast or there must be a trick.'_

Hinata shook her head slightly before taking a stick of dango out of her bento and was about to eat a dumpling when she noticed that a few pieces of Naruto's sushi roll had gone missing. The boy was chewing happily which meant he was the culprit. Finally her curiosity got the best of her and she broke the silence again, "Ano…how are you doing that?"

Naruto just smirked and shrugged, "I'm fast." Hinata blinked at his answer and he was chewing again. She searched bento to see if anything was missing only to find nothing had been taken. '_Strange.' _The blue haired girl went back to her dango only to find that the top dumpling was missing off her stick.

"Hey! That was mine."

Naruto swallowed the sweet treat with amused eyes, "And it was really good." Despite being a bit annoyed by the theft Hinata couldn't help but giggle. The duo returned to eating their food for a while before her curiosity reared its head again. She turned to him as she slouched down against the tree, "So why do you wear the mask anyway, Naruto-san?"

Naruto shrugged and set his empty bento box aside, "No real reason really. I like it for one. And it's cool for two."

"Why didn't you just say that earlier? When Kiba asked you?"

"Because I find him annoying," Naruto replied casually. However, he didn't know about the Inuzuka's ridiculously receptive ears and was surprised when the dog boy actually responded to his statement.

"Oi! I'm annoying?! We'll see how annoying I am when I'm breaking your nose!"

Naruto looked up to see the boy stalking towards him with his body tensed for a fight. In the short time it took for Kiba to get to the tree Naruto took in every feature about the boy that he had missed earlier. The boy was wearing a tan, long-sleeved, v-neck t-shirt with a pair of gray shorts and ninja sandals. As he arrived Naruto stood up lazily and met Kiba face to face.

"What is it you want, Kiba-san?"

"I want to fight you!"

"Fight? Right here? Why?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes. He wasn't gonna back down but there was obviously something up with the dog boy.

Kiba growled slightly, "Because Kaa-san said I have to assert myself as top dog. You think you're cool in that mask, blondie? Well, you aren't. I'll kick your ass first and work my way up to the slimeball Uchiha over there." Said Uchiha scoffed but continued to watch the confrontation will some degree of interest along with the other kids.

Naruto shrugged and walked out onto the dirt patch next to the school building before slipping into a basic stance with shoulders squared, hands up, knees bent slightly, and feet apart. Kiba joined him as the kids made a semicircle around the two boys. The blond beckoned the Inuzuka forward, "C'mon, Kibble. Don't disappoint your Kaa-chan."

His plan to rile his opponent up worked and Kiba rushed him angrily. Naruto slapped the first punch away from his body before ducking the roundhouse that followed. The blond lashed out with a sweep that knocked Kiba off his feet with a thump that kicked up a bit of dust. The brown haired boy growled and picked himself up quickly.

Naruto backed away a little, allowing Kiba to right himself before they continued. This time, however, Naruto initiated the clash as he lashed out with series of quick jabs and kicks that Kiba had to backpedal away from. The blond pressed forward quickly not giving Kiba time to get a proper footing. Instead the dog lover had to make do with keeping his arms up in constant guard. This proved to be a mistake because suddenly the punch stopped and Kiba thought the masked boy had gotten a bit winded from the long series punches. He was wrong. Naruto's kick connected solidly with Kiba's hip making him stumble.

'_Heh. Gotcha now, Kibble.' _The blond thought as he capitalized on the stumble with a vicious series of jabs to the boy's stomach and chest. He didn't let up sticking Kiba with a two-piece combo to the mouth that busted his lip and staggered him. Figuring it was time to end his first fight as an Academy student Naruto grabbed a fistful of the disoriented boy's shirt with his left hand and pulled him into a monster right hook. But the blow never connected. Just as Naruto was going to put the hot tempered boy to sleep via knuckles, a hand clasped around his wrist and stopped him.

"That's enough, Naruto. You won, let him go."

Naruto turned his head to see Iruka looking down at him sternly. With a quick nod he let go of Kiba's shirt and began to walk back towards his spot next to Hinata so he could pick up his bento box. Iruka sighed before sending the kids on their way and giving Kiba an ice pack for his lip. '_That was a pretty pathetic fight. I'll have to work on Kiba's temper. And his form.'_

_**Three and a Half Years Later: Middle of Naruto's Third Year at the Academy**_

Naruto's life, in his own opinion, was going quite well. He got good marks in the Academy and he had a few friends. Well, one friend. It turns out that sitting with and eating lunch with someone almost every day for three years makes you pretty good friends. It started slow, with the two casually discussing the lesson of the day or a certain exercise. Then it progressed to them talking about things they had in common. For example, Hinata liked to press flowers and Naruto like gardening. They would often talk about the garden on the Hyūga compound which was something that Naruto desperately wanted to see.

But then as they hit year three they both started opening up to one another as best friends do. Naruto told the pale-eyed girl about how he lived alone for quite a while and the villager's near unanimous reproach for him. In turn Hinata told the blond about her predicament as clan heir and the Caged Bird seal which was something she desperately wanted to change. It seemed that was the turning point in their relationship. They were thick as thieves with Hinata coming over at least three nights a week to have dinner with Yugao and him.

That was another thing that had changed for the better in Naruto's life. He had started referring to the purple haired woman as his mother. It hadn't been a gradual change. In fact it had been quite sudden.

_**Flashback: Naruto's Second Year**_

_Naruto grabbed his bento off the counter before yelling back to Yugao who cleaning up a bit in the kitchen, "Okay, I'm off! See ya later, Kaa-chan!"_

_There was a sudden clatter in the kitchen that stopped the blond in his tracks. He turned around was startled to see his purple haired guardian right there with a glimmer in her eyes. She smiled and spoke with a shaky voice, "Wha-what did you just call me?"_

_Naruto wrung his hands and shrugged, "I called you Kaa-chan. I mean you've looked after me for a long time and you do everything a mother does so I just figured you wouldn't mind. If you don't like it…" He didn't get to finish because Yugao pulled him into a crushing, loving, hug as she started to cry out of pure joy_

"_I love it, Naruto! You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to call me that. We might not be blood but you're my son dammit!" _

_Naruto smiled brightly as he started to cry, too. It may be few year late but he knew what it felt like to have a mom. It felt awesome. He wrapped his own arms around her and buried his masked face in her shoulder._

_**Flashback End**_

But as happy as Naruto was with his life, not everything was perfect. Kiba was one of the everyday annoyances he had to deal with. Like clockwork the Inuzuka would try and rile up the blond which in turn led Naruto into getting annoyed. And the more annoyed Naruto became with Kiba then more he would ignore him. And the more Naruto ignored him the louder he got. But eventually Iruka-sensei would step in and end the cycle.

Surprisingly though, the biggest kink in Naruto life had been a certain spikey haired, onyx eyed, Uchiha. Naruto had nothing against the boy personally. You could even say that the Uchiha was one of Naruto's favorite people. The kink was that the Uchiha seemed to one up the masked blond in everything. If Naruto got nine targets during kunai and shuriken practice then Sasuke would score a perfect ten. Naruto would run the through the obstacle course in would record and turn around to see Sasuke shave a second or two off to match. It wasn't like the blond cared or anything. But he did; just a little bit. Today would be different, though. Today, things would change. They would change because Naruto said they would.

The blond walked into the same classroom that he had occupied for three years. He sighed in annoyance as the pink banshee and her so called rival in love were having their daily argument over who gets to sit next to Sasuke-kun. Seeing his best friend made him forget all the annoying things in the classroom, though. She was sitting up in their corner as usual, patiently waiting for him to take his seat. When he finally did she smiled and turned to him, "Are you sure you want to do this? It could just be you and me. Besides, the Uchiha and the Hyūga don't get along very well historically anyway."

Naruto shook his head and began writing out a note, "No, I'm sure. If we train together then we'll all be able to get stronger. It's a win for everyone." Hinata couldn't argue with that logic and stayed silent. When Naruto finished the note he balled it up threw it at the Uchiha. His aim was true but so were Sasuke's reflexes. The black haired boy dodged the little ball of paper and allowed it to land in front of him before glaring up at the thrower.

Naruto smirked and gestured for Sasuke to unfold the ball. Sasuke scoffed in annoyance but he did in fact unfold the paper and read it. The words on the paper intrigued Sasuke, 'Meet Hinata and I after class. We have a proposition for you that could benefit us all.'

'_Hmmm. Interesting. I'll bite. But it had better not be stupid.'_

_**Later After Class**_

"So, what did you want to talk about, Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked as he walked up on the blond and his pale-eyed companion. The blond was doing inverted sit-ups on a tree branch while Hinata was leaning casually against said tree.

When he heard the voice of the expected third member of their party Naruto back flipped off the branch and landed deftly on the ground. He turned to meet Sasuke's gaze. He smirked quietly, "I wanted to talk about strength."Sasuke's eyebrow rose slightly and gestured for the blond to continue, and he did, "It's no secret that Hinata, you, and I are the most serious about becoming Shinobi out of our whole class. Shikimaru's smart but no work ethic. Kiba is a joke and I'm pretty sure that Sakura and Ino spend more time on makeup than training."

"Your point?"

Hinata chose this time to speak up, "His point is that we all want to get stronger. To get stronger you have to train. Training by yourself can only take you so far. So we want you to train with us. It couldn't hurt for three relatively strong people to help each out. We all have things to improve on."

Sasuke smirked slightly before crossing his arms, "That's all very good in theory. But how do I know that I can benefit from training with you two? You're both below me in the class ranking."

Naruto shrugged and looked at Hinata before matching the Uchiha smirk, "How about we have a little mock battle. A free-for-all with no holds barred. Then you can decide if it's worth it afterward."

Sasuke unfolded his arms and put his game face on, "Name the time and place."

Naruto looked up at the sun and decided they had enough time, "Hmmm. I have training field just outside the village. Meet me there in twenty minutes. Bring anything you think you'll need." Hinata and Sasuke nodded and disappeared in simultaneous jumps, taking off to their homes. Naruto smirked and disappeared in a similar fashion toward the training ground having already borrowed/stolen everything he needed from his mother. None of the kids noticed a certain spikey gray haired man eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Hmmm, this might be something I should see."

_**Twenty Minutes Later**_

The air was tense as all three active participants of the battle stood in a triangle sizing each other up. Naruto had Yugao's shuriken pouch strapped to his right thigh and the kunai pouch in the small of his back. Hinata and Sasuke also had equipment pouches strapped to them in some place or another. Sasuke gazed around clearing approvingly, "This is a nice set up you have, Uzumaki."

Hinata nodded in agreement, "I have to agree with Sasuke-san. It's quite nice, Naruto-kun." She was trying to find out she should play this. Naruto was an in-your-face type of fighter but she knew she had the upper hand in taijutsu. She also knew that Sasuke was also very up close and personal so she should have it in the bag. But somehow she knew that they both had tricks up their sleeves. Meanwhile, the other two participants were making almost the same observations.

For a while all was quiet in the clear with only the leaves rustling in the occasional breeze being the only noise. Then it was like someone flipped a switch and all hell broke loose. Naruto dropped in a crouch and threw a barrage of shuriken at Sasuke who had to quickly produce kunai to deflect the incoming projectiles. There was a cry of '**Byakugan!**' and Naruto turned to see Hinata rushing at him, eyes fierce with the veins around them bulging. The blond quickly begin to backpedal trying to keep those fingers of hers from touching him.

He dodged another palm strike before his reflexes kicked in and he jumped backward high into the air. Several kunai buried into the ground straight through the space he had previously occupied. He got no break because as soon as he landed he thrown into yet another taijustu battle. He ducked under a kick that would've had him seeing stars and retaliated with series of jabs that Sasuke either dodged or blocked on his forearms. It wasn't like fighting Kiba or some civilian kid. The Uchiha knew what he was doing. Naruto jumped high and dropped an axe kick on Sasuke's forearm block before quickly dropping to the ground with sweep that took the black haired boy off his feet.

Unfortunately, Naruto didn't get time to capitalize on the successful maneuver because a foot slammed into the side of his head. The force of the blow sent him tumbling across the grass before he managed to get back to his feet just in time to catch a snap kick on his chin that damn near knocked him out. He stumbled back desperately to get away from whoever the hell was kicking the shit out of him. Literally. When his vision refocused he saw the strangest sight. Hinata was in a totally different stance. She was bouncing lightly on her feet as she didn't want to keep them on the ground.

Naruto couldn't keep himself from shouting, "Since when do Hyūgas _KICK_?!" All he got in response was her rushing at him and launching another round of kicks that stung his arms whenever he blocked them. He finally lashed out with a kick of his own aiming for her exposed side. Hinata just raised her leg and caught the blow on her shin. Naruto's eyes began to water when his shin slammed into hers because it was obviously made of steel. He put a lot of power into that and she didn't even flinch. But she did kick, spinning around with a roundhouse that caught Naruto in the chest and sent him to the floor once more. The air rushed out of the blond's lungs with a '_whoosh'_.

Apparently Sasuke had recovered because Hinata had to dodge calmly to the side avoiding the punch the Uchiha had aimed for the back of her head. And apparently he had forgotten what had just happened to Naruto because he seemed awfully surprised when Hinata fired off a reverse kick that was so lightning fast that all he could do was take it to the face and lay back down. Hinata threw a kunai at Sasuke that thudded into the ground beside his throat, "You're dead." She spun around with a flurry of finger and palm strikes that caught the winded Naruto by surprise. She shut down his arms and held a kunai to his throat, "And you're dead."

Naruto just deadpanned and looked over at Sasuke, "I feel cheated. I didn't even get to use my Kaa-chan's explosive notes." Hinata giggled at that and reopened the tenketsu in his arms so he could move them again.

Sasuke stood up slowly rubbing the side of his face that was quickly swelling up, "What the hell hit me?" He looked around and saw that the blond seemed to be in the same condition he was in. '_Damn, she has some monstrous leg strength_.' Hinata smiled at the two boys, "I think this proves the point that we all need more training. You two need to work on your taijutsu since neither of you has a style. You're just relying on your speed and reflexes. That won't work against me. But then again had either one known any jutsu or had a weapon I would've had a tough time."

Sasuke couldn't argue with that and smirked slightly, "Okay. Fine, I'm in. Having people to train with couldn't hurt."

Naruto smiled and nodded, "Good, meet here after school when you can. Hinata won't be here sometimes because she has training with her clan. Speaking of Hinata, where the hell did you learn to kick like that?"

The pale-eyed girl shrugged, "It's a hobby. I found a book on it at the library. Its a style that focuses on kicks and acrobatics. I haven't actually gotten that far into it."

"I need to go to the library more often…"

That got a laugh out of all of them. Well, Sasuke just smiled but that was basically a laugh. The trio departed back to the village after that with two of them planning to go ice bruises.

_**Meanwhile**_

Kakashi smiled quietly to himself, "I like them. They're interesting." The Copy Ninja disappeared from his perch in the trees.

* * *

**Ok. First things first I would like to say that I hated this chapter. It was hard for me to write. Trying to set up the baseline for everything is difficult and I know that it could have been way better. With that said I would also like to say that I appreciate all my reviews. I was surprised to see names like Digitize and freowin seeing as I'm a fan of both of your stories. I'll try to do better as the story goes on. I personally hate writing the academy and would like to get past it as soon as possible.**

**On a side note about Hinata. I know she is very OOC. That was done on purpose because I'm tired of reading about the shy, no confidence, Hinata. My Hinata took all the criticism from her clan like a champ and used it as motivation to bee stronger. And she doesn't have a crush on Naruto because in this story the first she met him was in the academy. And Sasuke will not be an asshole. **


	3. Question!

**Hey. I have a question for you folks. I have been getting some reviews stating that this story doesn't seem like a rewrite. That's because it technically isn't. To me The Broken Ones was a failed experiment. The reason being was because it had to many plot elements that took away from the point of the story. I like this story. I really do. But I feel like my heart isn't really in it. There have been lots of stories with a lonely Naruto that makes a drastic change for the better when he meets a guardian or something. I kinda feel like I'm playing the same tune. But there was one plot element from The Broken Ones that I REALLY liked. It was the whole Inuzuka Naruto thing. I LOVE that and not enough people do it. I feel like I could write that plot, take off with it, and not get bored. That's the question I wanted to ask you guys. Should I do a Naruto Inuzuka story? If I did then I would still continue this one but it would take the back burner. You can leave your answer in a review but I'd prefer if you sent a PM since this will be replaced by the third chapter once I finish it. I already have the base of the Naruto Inuzuka story but if you want it to happen then feel free to leave suggestions. **

**P.S. If I do the Naruto Inuzuka story then Anko WON'T be a romance option. I like her better as a big sister figure. But I would have plans for a certain kitty. *Wink, Wink* *Hint, Hint***


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